This week was a week of changes for the Portland Piranhas. First came
the Ammy Draft. The draft by management was found to be kinda weird.
Everyone knew coming into the draft that the Piranhas needed pitching, but
they didn't pick up a pitcher until the 3rd Round. In the first round, the
Piranhas decided to secure the catching position for the future as they
picked up what was figured to be the BEST OFFENSIVE catcher in the draft.
"We really wanted to get a Quality pitcher in round 1, but there was a lot
of great pitchers left by our pick. Pitchers were grabbed early & in quatity,
so we figured if we couldn't secure a great pitcher we would secure the next
hardest position on the field to get. Piazza was a steal at #22 and as you
noticed he immediately jumped into some action." said management.
Then in round 2 the Pirahas surprised noone by taking a pitcher. P John
VanderWal was announced as the Piranhas pick. He was optioned to LOW minors
to gain some much needed experience and fine tuning. Round 3 saw the Piranhas
again avoiding the weakened pitching position. They took SS Red Greene in the
final round of the draft. Greene was sent immediately to the starting lineup.
That wouldn't last long though as after only 7 at bats he would suffer a
dislocated shoulder after diving for a line drive. Greene is expected out for
6-8 weeks.
Also added to the pitching problem was the assignment of pitcher Dutch
Ruether to the DL. "His elbow has been bothering him so we did an MRI. We
found that his elbow ligaments were inflamed, so we immediately placed him on
the DL. He is expected back around the same time as Red Greene (who went on
the DL the same day)", said team doctor Arthur Pappas.
So--- are the playoff hopes over ?? Portland didn't seem to think so as
they immediately hit the trading blocks to find a replacement for Ruether.
"After Ruether going down, we knew we'd struggle if we didn't find an adequate
replacement for him." said manager Charles Wilkins. They wasted no time in
trading RF George Burns to Myrtle Beach for Pitcher Dean Chance. Chance
should bring some MUCH needed help to the rotation. "Chance has performed
well this season and will waste no time in making his first start. We
expect very good things from the youngster." Wilkins said. "It gave us a
chance to improve our pitching situation and get a little younger !! It will
limit our depth at OF, but we can survive that I think."
Also depriving the OF depth was the trading of Outfielder Jose Cardenal.
Cardenal & Frisch moved to Springfield in a deal that send another young
2B back to Portland in return. Joe Gordon will get the starting nod at 2B
and hopefully will perform as well as Frisch. Gordon brings another Power
stick to our offense.
The Piranhas did go get another pitcher in this sim's Free Agent draft
though. I'm sure they'll continue to get pitchers that are only a few years
away and develop them through their farm system.
In closing, the Piranhas manager had only this to say : "We have moved
into 2nd place and are making a quality run at the division pennant. We will
not give up our future for the present though. As you can see in the recent
trades, we are looking for young players that can also help us now. We have
moved a few of the older players, but we do need some of the veterans to
teach the youngsters how to handle the pressure. We are not done yet, but
feel better than we did last week about our chances and our future."
|
1st Round Ammy Pick
C Mike Piazza
Recent
Acquistions
P Dean Chance
2B Joe Gordon |
